Bronzing-machine.



B. H. JONES.

BRONZING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9. IBM.

1,1 34,203 Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

4 SHEETSSHBET l.

B. H. JONES.

BRONZING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9. 1911.

1 1 34,203 Patented, Apr. 6, 1915.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

ZJWasea:

IHE Nnnms PETERS C0 PHOTO-LITHfi WASHINGTONv D C.

B. H. JONES.

BRONZING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 9. 1911.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

SHEET 3.

4 SHBETS THE NORRIS F T545 50., PHOTO LITHOH WASHINGTON, D. C.

4 SHBETSSHEET 4.

Patentd Apr. 6, 1915.

B. H. JONES.

BRONZING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 11ov.9. 1911.

THE NORRIS PETERS c0 PHOTG'UTHU WASH NG- m D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-HIE.

BENJAMIN H. JONES, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BRONZING-MACI-IINE.

Application filed November 9, 1911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN H. J ONES, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bronzing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for coating articles with powder, and is particularly intended to be used for applying bronze or other finely divided substance used as a dry color to metallic furniture, builders hardware and fixtures, bicycle and velocipede frames, piano keyboards, and similar highly finished articles made wholly or in part of metal which are usually baked to harden the coating after it is applied.

The objects of my invention are the rapid and uniform application of the powder to the articles to be coated, the saving of surplus powder and the prevention of the es cape of any powder into the workroom, the rapid and complete clarifying of the working chamber of floating particles of powder, and the elimination of cumbersome methods of and appliances for handling the coated articles and substitution of expeditious methods and space and labor saving appliances therefor.

Further objects of my invention will appear in connection with the description of the embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which drawings like characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved apparatus; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same showing in side elevation my improved truck and bed ends thereon in position to be acted upon; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of my improved apparatus; Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the same partly in section on the line 1-1 in Fig. 1; Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged views of portions of the sliding sash showing the means for rendering the same dust tight; Fig. 7 is an enlarged view partly in section of the powder injector; Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the truck; and Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the same.

My improved apparatus as devised for Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

Serial No. 659,295.

bronzing bed ends comprises a bronzing machine and truck, herein described; whereby the baking ovens used in connection with my apparatus may be of usual construction eX- cept that they may be provided with trackless floors at the same elevation as the floor of the workroom. The bronzing chamber of my apparatus is provided with a floor at the same elevation as the floor of the room, and without tracks or other means for guiding the truck, as my improved means for circulating the air within the bronzing chamber gives adequate circulation in all parts thereof, and the provision of tracks for insuring that the truck and articles to be bronzed shall be positioned at a certain point and within a limited space in the chamber is rendered unnecessary.

Referring to the drawings, my bronzing apparatus consists of a chamber 1, provided with front and rear side walls 2 and 3, respectively, which are smooth on the inside, and top and end walls 4 and 5 respectively, provided with sliding sash 6, 7, fitting in frames 8, 9, and adapted to be raised to provide free access to the chamber. The sash and frames are fitted with metallic groove strips 10 and mating bead strips 11 slidably engaged therein whereby an air and dust tight joint is insured. Between the meeting rails 12 of the upper and lower sash mating strips 18, 14: are likewise fitted for the same purpose. The sash have panes of clear glass 15 so the operator may get a full view of the entire interior of the chamber.

The top wall of the chamber is scooped down in the middle leaving two pockets 16, 17 in the top part of the chamber, one at either corner thereof, in which pockets fans 18, 19, are carried on arms 20, 21, mounted on the shafts 22, 23 turning in bearings in the front and rear walls of the chamber casing. The fans are one right hand and the other left hand and are driven from the pulley 2& located outside the casing at the middle point of the shaft 25, the ends of which extend into the pockets 16, 17 within the casing and carry bevel gears 26, 27 thereon. These gears mesh with idler bevel gears 28, 29, rotatably mounted on the horizontal shafts 22, 23, between the arms 20,

21 and fixed collars which hold the gears from longitudinal movement on the 'shafts. These idler gears mesh with bevel gears 30, 31 secured to the inner ends of the shafts 32, 33 rotatably mounted in the arms 20, '21, and on the outer ends of which shafts the fans 18, 19 are fixed.

The arms 20, 21, carrying the fans are fixed to the shafts 22, 23, the ends of which extend through the bearings in the front wall of the casing, and have secured to them the right and left worm gears 34, 35, located outside the casing. Right and left worms 36, 37 meshing with these worm gears are fixed on the upper ends of shafts 38, 39

mounted in brackets on the outside of the front wall of the casing and carrying bevel gears 40, 41 at the lower ends thereof meshing with a bevel gear 42 on the inner end of a short horizontalshaft carrying the hand wheel 13.. Turning the hand wheel in the right hand direction results in swinging both the fans downwardly, while turning the hand wheel in the opposite direction results in swinging both fans upwardly. This oscillating movement of the fans results n the production of constantly varying air currents 'Wiillllll the chamber circulating through all parts thereof, and formingan everchanging whirlwind in which blasts of air are caused to impinge almost simultaneously on all sides of any articles lIl p the chamber, and still air spaces are completely eliminated.

Pipes 4%, 45 lead from the pockets 16, 17 to a pipe 46 leading to a dust collector. A damper 417, having a central openmg 18 18 mounted inthe pipe 46 for controlling the passage of air to and from the chamber through the dust collector, this belng the only opening from the chamber to the outer air during the actual bronzing operation. This damper is controlled by means of chains 49 leading to the front side of the casing near the. hand wheel. damper open the effect of the constantly varying air currents from the oscillating fans is to change the air in the chamber very rapidly. The changes in direction of the air currents within the chamber cause fluctuations in the air pressure in the region of the pipes at, 45 leading into its top, and

similar fluctuations in air pressure in the pipe 46 leading to the dust collector. The rising and falling of the air pressure wlthin the pipes causes a succession of blasts of air in reverse directions through the pipes and dust collector.

On the front wall of the casing there is mounted a bronze injector 50, consisting of a hopper 51 provided with a cover, a shut off valve '52 at the bottom of the hopper closing the passage into the pipe 53 leading to the interior of the casing, and a collapsible rubber pressure bulb 54 on the outer end WVith the through the damper.

of the pipe 53. Bronze in measured quantities is placed in the hopper, the cover fastened on, and the valve 5?. opened to the pipe allowing the bronze to fall into the latter, whereupon the bronze will be blown into the chamber 1 when the bulb is squeezed. By means of this devicebronze p may be inserted into the chamber during the operation of the fans without danger ofany bronze belng blown out lnto the workroom adapted to enter the smallest size of bed end pillar for the purpose of maintaining the bed ends in vertical position on the truck.

VVooden sleeves or bushings 61 may be fitted over these postsv to'adaptfthe same to tit square or round pillars of larger size, The

opposite end of my truck carries a platform of metal slats 62, upon which the pillarsl'of bed ends may be supported, whatever the width of the bed end,'the other pillars of the respectivebedends being slipped onto the posts 60 or bushing 61 as the case may be. The end bars of the truckrare furnished with staples or eyes 63 adapted ''to be engaged by hooks in the hands of the workmen for manipulating the truck when loaded with coated articles.

In the operation of my apparatus, the bed ends or other articles are positioned on the truck and sized, that is, coated with a sticky varnish. The truck is then run to one side and thesize allowed to harden until it becomes of the desired stickiness, whereupon the truck is run into the bronzing "chamber, the sliding sashes being thrown up for this purpose. The sliding sashes are then lowered and the damperclosed, making the chamber air tight except for the hole if not already in rotation, and the operator The fans are started,

turns'the handwheel 43 to oscillate the fans and cause the variable cyclonic action of the air currents within the chamber; At the same time a measured quantity of bronze or her, where it meets the whirling air currents and'is thoroughly commingled therewith.

A part ofthe bronze will be depositedon the;

sized objects in the chamber,and part will be blown out through the small hole in the damper, with the intermittent blasts of air, through the dust collector, where it is retained. Any loose bronze on the articles to be coated will be carried away by the air blasts, instead of remaining on the articles themselves to be later brushed off by the workmen as is the case with other bronzing machines. The bronze is also deposited more uniformly than in former machines devised for the same purpose, and objects having square corners and angles, such as bed ends with square pillars, can be successfully bronzed, which cannot be done satisfactorily in other machines so far as known to me. Upon opening the damper the fans may be operated a half minute to clear the chamber of bronze, and then shut off, or may be swung to a position where they will blow air through the pipe to the dust collector and left running. In either case, when the sliding sashes are raised there will be no tendency to blow powder laden air into the workroom, and the truck may be pulled through the chamber into the room and run off to the baking ovens. The damper can be opened very shortly after the bronze is introduced into the chamber, as the action of the whirling and constantly changing air currents in depositing the bronze is very rapid.

The elimination of the track in the bronzing chamber enables tracks to be dispensed with in the workroom and baking ovens, and results in the capacity of the ovens being increased thirty or forty per cent. over ovens of the same size provided with tracks, and also enables a large amount of trackage for drying and cooling the truck loads of articles in the workroom to be dispensed with, thus increasing the storage capacity of the workroom. As far as I know, my machine is the first operating successfully without tracks or other means for guiding the truck within the bronzing chamber, and in this respect is a great improvement in the art, enabling the same amount of work to be handled more expeditiously and with less oven and room space than is the case with existing machines.

I have not illustrated my dust collector, as I propose to use one of ordinary and well known form and do not claim anything therein as of my invention. A dust collector may be dispensed with, and the powder laden air blown through a pipe leading to the roof of the building or other place out-of-doors where the bronze would not be obnoxious and a menace to the health of the workmen, but as this would result in the wasting of bronze I prefer to attach the dust collector, which can be emptied of bronze powder periodically.

lVhile I have described as the preferred form of my invention an apparatus for bronzing bed ends, I do not wish to be limited to this use of my invention, nor to the particular form of apparatus described, but

That I desire to claim as my invention and secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In apparatus for applying powder to articles, a substantially closed chamber adapted to receive the articles to be operated upon, means for circulating the air within said chamber, and means for supplying powder to said circulating air, said air circulating means comprising a pair of rotating fans mounted in the upper part of said chamber, and adapted to oscillate simultaneously in opposite directions about paral lel horizontal axes in a vertical plane lengthwise of the chamber.

2. In apparatus for applying powder to articles, a substantially closed chamber adapted to receive the articles to be operated upon, means for circulating the air within said chamber, and means for supplying powder to said circulating air, said air circulating means comprising a plurality of rotating fans mounted at opposite ends of the chamber on oscillating axes, and means for simultaneously oscillating said fans toward and from each other in the same vertical direction.

3. An apparatus for creating variable air currents in the chamber of a powdering machine comprising fans arranged to rotate in opposite directions, said fans being mounted on oppositely disposed pivotally supported arms, means for driving said fans from without said chamber, said driving means comprising a shaft extending into said chamber and provided with bevel gears on either end, idler bevel gears rotatably mounted on the pivotal axes of said arms meshing with said first mentioned bevel gears, and adapted to drive bevel gears car ried by the pivotally supported arms and meshing therewith, said last named bevel gears being connected with the fans and means for oscillating said arms, said means being operable from the exterior of the caslng.

l. An apparatus for creating variable air currents in the chamber of a powdering machine comprising fans mounted on oppositely disposed pivotally supported arms, means for driving said fans from without said chamber, and means for oscillating said arms, said means being operable from the exterior of the casing, and comprising gears on extensions of the arms projecting with out the casing meshing with gears carried by shafts adapted to be rotated by hand operated means.

5. In an apparatus for applying powder to articles by means of air currents, a casing adapted to receive the articles to be operated upon, fans rotatably mounted on oppositely arranged oscillating arms within, said casing and adapted to be. driven Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 7th day from the exterior thereof, said fans being of November, 1911. 7

arranged to circulate air simultaneously in BENJAMIN H. S

opposite directions when the arms are horizontally disposed, and means for causing Witnesses:

said arms to oscillate together in the same AMAN M. HoLooMBE, vertical direction. M. A. SHELTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 7 g V V 

